Scientists from Hohenheim University in Germany claim that adding fermented onions, chives (onions) or leeks to plant-based meat can make it taste closer to the natural meat flavour.
Many plant-based meat companies use artificial additives to mimic the natural flavors and aromas of meat.
However, because these flavors are artificial, many countries will not allow food makers to label them as "natural."
The research team explained, "Achieving the 'natural' plant-based meat flavor requires actually extracting flavoring chemicals from plants or generating them chemically using enzymes, bacteria, or fungi."
In their new study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers set out to try to create the flavor of meat using natural ingredients and processes.
The team tested a range of food items including chives, ginger, leeks, red peppers and yellow onions, then carried out a fermentation process using different fungal species, before testing for aromas using chromatography-mass spectrometry.
The results revealed that flavors in the category of chives, leeks, and yellow onions were what created the natural meat aroma.
The sample with the strongest odor came from fermenting onions for 18 hours using the Polyporus umbellatus fungus.
The team found that fermented onions contain many of the same odorous chemicals found in real meat.
ISRO : An Indian solar probe sends its first photographs to Earth
The Indian Aditya-L1 automatic space station for studying the Sun sent the first images of the Earth and the Moon, in addition to its own selfies.
These pictures were taken by the camera on board the station. The Indian Space Studies Organization (ISRO) published these photographs on its page on the social networking site X (formerly Twitter).
The Foundation said that the Aditya-L1, which was sent to the L1 point between the Sun and the Earth, took self-portraits and pictures of the Earth and the Moon. The Indian solar probe was launched on September 2. It is planned to reach orbit around the sun in 125 days in the region of the “Lagrange” point, which is the L1 point of the Sun-Earth system about 1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth. At this point, the Indian automatic station can be stationary with respect to the Earth and the Sun. A solar eclipse never occurs there, and it can observe the sun without facing any problem and record its radiation. In addition, the probe will be far from the Earth's magnetic field to avoid interference with measurements.
The station is equipped with 7 scientific devices to study various solar variables. The station will study the flow of particles coming from the sun, measure its magnetic field, and study the solar corona and the dynamics of coronal emissions. The station will also study the solar photosphere and chromosphere, and measure fluctuations in solar radiation.
The Aditya-L1 project is India's second high-tech space exploration mission carried out this year. Last August 23, the Indian lunar station Chandrayaan-3 landed on the surface of the moon in the area of its south pole. It is currently continuing its work on the moon.
NASA : "Perseverance" detects what looks like a "shark fin" and a "crab claw" on Mars!
NASA's Perseverance rover captured an image of two separate rocks that resemble a "shark fin" and a "crab claw."
Sparking a wave of responses from space news followers, who joked that the crab-like rock represented the remains of a “great cosmic crab.” Others quipped that the shark's fin might actually be the "back plates" of a Stegosaurus dinosaur.
The images taken by the spacecraft last month are the latest example of a phenomenon known as pareidolia, which defines the state of the human brain's desire to understand what the eye sees, thus creating an unreal meaning.
This year alone, the US space agency shared images of a doughnut-shaped rock and a bone-like stone, while the Curiosity rover captured images of a mysterious protrusion in a “rock face,” which some claimed was an “entrance.”
NASA quickly rejected this idea, when it revealed that its width and length were only a few inches, while specialized geologists said that it may have been caused by several straight fractures in the rock formation.
It is noteworthy that the Perseverance rover was launched to Mars in 2020 to search for signs of ancient life on the red planet.
She is currently exploring an ancient river delta inside Jezero Crater, which was once filled with a 1,600-foot-deep lake.
Scientists believe the area hosted microbial life about 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago, so the rover was tasked with examining soil samples to look for evidence of extraterrestrial life.